Atheism leaves a man to sense, to philosophy, to natural piety, to laws, to reputation; all of which may be guides to an outward moral virtue, even if religion vanished; but religious superstition dismounts all these and erects an absolute monarchy in the minds of men. – Francis Bacon
Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly. – Francis Bacon
None of the affections have been noted to fascinate and bewitch but envy. – Francis Bacon
Truth arises more readily from error than from confusion. – Francis Bacon
We find the most terrible form of atheism, not in the militant and passionate struggle against the idea of God himself, but in the practical atheism of everyday living, in indifference and torpor. We often encounter these forms of atheism among those who are formally Christians. – Nicolai A. Berdyaev